Cap-feeding apparatus



Oct. 31, ,1944. w. D. BELL 2,361,364

CAP FEEDING APPARATUS Original Filed Sept. 20, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l alts.

IIEIIIIM INVENTOR William D. Bell.

ATTo'RN EYS Patented Oct. 31, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT orr es Anchor Hocking- .Glass Corporation, Lancaster, Ohio, at corporationof Delaware Olig-irialapplication- September 20} '.-1-940,- Serial No; '35'7,5 86.--' Divided and' thi sapplicafion December .2, 1941; Serial No-.'1421 ,3'35

3 Claims.

' Myinvention relates to a cap-feeding ;apparatusl" It has to doymore particu1'ar1y-,'with a capfeeding apparatus adapted to be associated with a'sealing machine which seals the cap on a container and; preferablyydisplaces thezair from the. head space of the T containerbefore the sealing operation.

This; application is. adivision of my co-pending application .S; 357,586; an Apparatus for'sealing containersrfiled Sept. 20,- l940,=n'ow Patent No;- 2,296,013, is'sued September 15, 1942.

One of the objects of thy-invention is to'provide a cap-feeding apparatus which is very simple in structure: and embodies a=minimum numberaof moving parts.

Another object or my'inven-tion is to'provide a cap-feedvvhich is of' such a-nature-that it will receive a-stackof caps and will ffeed the caps one-by-one to the vsealing mechanism of the sealingmachine.

..--Another object of my invention is to provide a cap-feeding apparatus of the type indicated passes between the lowermost cap and the cap next above and positively separates these caps whilesupporting' the stackof'caps above the lowermost cap. Wh'en the feed control member is-return'ed to its originalposition, the cap which has becomethe 'lowermost cap will restaon the which is of such a nature that the lowermost cap in the stack will- 'be positively separated from the stack at the proper time.

Another object of'my invention is to provide a cap-feeding deviceaof the-"type indicated in the preceding paragraphhavingsimple means for feeding the released cap into association with the sealingmechanism of the machine.

In its preferred form, my invention contemplates the provision of; a cap-feeding unit embodying an inclinedmag-azine for receiving a stack of nested caps. This magazine is mainly of semicylin drical-- form except at its lower'end which is ei-cylindrical form. The lower end is tiltedlupwardly from the horizontal. At the upper and forward side-oi the tilted lower-endof the magazine a movable feed control member is provided for-supporting the forward edge. of the lowermost cap while atthe lower and rear side of the 'tiltedlower end'o'f the magazine a stationary support is provided for said cap at a point diametrically opposed :to the point where the feed control member is provided. The feed control memberis the only movable part for controlling the feed of caps from the stack. This member takesthe form of a rotatable verticallydisposed substantiallydisk-like member disposedin a plane at right angles to the planecf the lowermost cap. The feed control r-member is provided witha notched portion and a finger thereabove. The lowermostzcap normally rests on -the bottom of the notched-portionbut when the-capfeed control member is rotated, the finger aboverthe notch bottom of the-fl-not'ched portion. The rear i and lower edge of the lowermost *cap -.S 1lppOI'llS1:m0St of the Weight:ofrthelstack of z-icap's which 'tjends'tto keep thelowermost cap in position where it will be" engaged by a pawl carriedz'by a slide, .substam tially at the'sametime' it-is released from-the stack which serves to feed thecapintozassociation with the sealing mechanism.

v1 The preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein similar characterseof rveferenceidesignate correspondingparts and wherein: Y

- Figure 1 is a 'verticab sectional view of the sealinggmechanism and associated can feed.

Figure 2 isa vertical sectional view showing the initial stage o'fireleaising 3/;01981119 from the 010-. sure magazine.

Figure "3 is avertical sectional :view, oftheasame cap'feed showing the cap immediately after-releaseand-the'manner of upholding the remaining caps.

'With' reference to- -thedrawings, I' have illustrated man automatically l-opera-ted ---capping machine of a type inwhicnmy, invention has-been embodied.

The closure holding means and-its associated delivery mechanism Willi-110W- Joe described in detail.-- Bolted to the upper surface-of platform 3 by-meansof bolts-2 is the-cap-holder'ormagazine generallydesignatedas l, The cap-holder 11' takes the formof -a-base-29 supporting integrally therewith and-in a slightly inclined position a the weight-orthis stackwwill-rest -largely-on two edges'of the lowermcsiwcap.- Thus, the-.reanedge 3 I of thelowermostcap rests onza depressed-surface =32 pf platform 3- having -formed -therein a slot 32a which is formerl -substantially throughout the-length of such 'zdepressedn-surface. I depressed *surface 32'extends from the ibottomlof the cap holder 1 to' the'*cap seali'ng he'ad. l he forward end" of the depressed surface --'3.2 which is adjacent t'o the-sealing:headwsupports the tracks 26 which form continuations thereof. The forward edge 34 of the lowermost cap rests on the lower surface 35 of a notch 36 formed in a disc 31. It will be seen that the notch 36 and the disc 37 are so located and of such form that when the disc 37 is oscillated'it willhave an escapementlike action, or in other words, the upper surface or claw-like member 38 of hotch 36 in the disc 31 will separate the lowermost cap from the stack and positively force it downwardly and allow it to drop in the longitudinal depressed surface 32.

While the. lowermost cap is being forceddo'wm' wardly by the claw-like member, the surface 39 of the disc 31 will support the stack of. caps as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Upon the release of the lowermost cap, the disc 31 is rotated in theopposite direction until the forward edge 34 of the cap which is now lowermost rests upon the surface of the notch 36 and the cap which is now lowermost isnow in a position readyfor release from the cap holder 1.

The disc 3! is mounted for its escapement-like motion on one end of a shaft 40. On the other end of the shaft 40 is rigidly mounted an arm 4| which extends upwardly. This arm 4| hasa pin and yoke connection 42 with the downwardly extending arm'43. The other end of the arm 43 is rigidly fastened to one end of the driving rod l3. It is understood, that when the rod I3 is driven to the left in Figure 1, it causes the arm 43 to rotate the disc 31 a certain number of degrees through the medium of its supporting shaft and associated arm 4!.

When a-cap is dropped into the depression 32 it is in front of apawl 44. Pawl 44 is carried by cross member 44a whose ends are connected to links 45. When suitablyactuated said pawl 44 is adapted to draw the cap" from its position beneath the cap magazine onto the cap-holding hinges 22. The mechanism accomplishing this result will now be described in detail. The ends of the links 45 opposite to those at which the cross member 44a is attached are connected to the be designated by the numeral 49 and it has operatively disposed therein a piston 50. The piston 50 is connected to the rod l3 by any ordinary means as at 5!. In the head of the cylinder 49 is disposed a spark plug 52 for ignition of the gas which may be admitted thro'ughthe port 53. The gas port 53 is connected through a gas line 62 to a suitable gas pump. At the end of the cylinder where the forward stroke of the piston 50 terminates is located a port 54. In the upper inside surface of the cylinder 49 is located a channel 54b which enables the air admitted through the port 54 when the piston is in firing position to be passed from behind the piston 50 when said piston has completed its stroke to the left into the space before the piston preparatory to compression.

The piston itself has on its explosion surface a baffle 55. It will be seen that this baffle 55 will cause the air coming through the channel 54b to be more or less deflected and spread into the explosion or combustion chamber for a more uniform mixture of the air with the gas, said air and gas, of course, being subject to slight compression preparatory to combustion by the re-.

turning stroke of the piston. Mounted on the rod l3 in front of the piston is a spring 56 which is for the purpose of initiating the return stroke of the piston. The relation of the piston to the air port at the limit of its forward stroke may be seen in dotted lines in Figure l.

It will be apparent from the above description that I have provided a cap-feeding apparatus having many advantages. The means for feeding lower ends of levers 46. The upper ends of levers if 46 are rigidly attached as at 41 to a-horizontal shaft 48, said shaft 48 being rotatably mounted in the walls of the sealing unit 16. The levers 46 are attached to the rotatable shaft 48 at a point outside of the walls of the sealing unit. Suitably ,mounted on the shaft 48 is the torsion spring 480.

This spring normally moves the pawl and a cap forward to sealing position.

- In the center of the shaft 48 is rigidly attached a downwardly extending trigger or finger 48a whose lower end extends into a notch 48b in the rod-f3. This trigger is so constructed that when the rod 13 is driven forward the shaft 48 is caused to rotate and thereby actuate the pawl 44 through the medium of its associated mechanism. When the rod l3 has moved far enough to the right in its returnstroke, the trigger 48a reaches a position Where its downward swinging action will not be prohibited, asit formerly was by the surface of the rod l3. Thus, when the trigger reaches this position, the torsion spring 480 rotates the shaft 48 and forces the trigger into notch 48b. It'will beseen that the'spring 48c rotating the shaft 48 and its associated mechanism will deliver rod I3 is driven by an ordinary type of piston as i in a combustion engine. The cylinder itself may the caps from the magazine is extremely simple embodying one moving part only. Furthermore, this means will positively separate the lowermost cap from the stack even if the lowermost cap tends to stick to the adjacent caps. of the stack'of caps serves to maintain the lowermost cap in position to be engaged by the pawl of the slide which feeds the cap into position beneath the sealing head. At the sealing head, the cap is effectively held in position, for the sealing operation, by the hinged flaps.

Various other advantages will be apparent from the preceding description, the drawings and the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A cap-feeding unit comprising a magazine for a stack of caps, said magazine being of cylindrical form and being inclined from the vertical so that the caps will be disposed in a position inclined from the horizontal, a depressed surface for supporting the one edge of the lowermost cap in the stack, separate means for supporting the opposite edge of said cap, said means comprising an oscillatable disk-like member having a notch said lowermost cap during the rotation of said disk, said last-named means comprising the peripheral portion of said disk in the region above said finger.

2. A structure according to claim 1 whereinsaid The weight depressed supporting surface has a longitudinal slot formed therein and a yieldable pawl adapted to reciprocate in said slot to engage the discharged cap disposed on the said surface and move it to another position.

3. A structure according to claim 1 wherein a reciprocable slide is provided beneath the cap receiving and supporting surface, said slide comprising a pawl yieldable when moved past the lower edge of the lowermost cap in one direction but engageable with said edge upon movement in the opposite direction to position the cap at another location.

, WILLIAM D. BELL. 

